The Cougars put up 513 yards of offense, 329 of that before intermission.

UConn's Bob Diaco played 50 Huskies in his head coaching debut.

Sophomore Casey Cochran and senior Chandler Whitmer split quarterback duties and threw for a combined 284 yards. Cochran was 17 of 31 for 171 yards. He also threw an interception on the Huskies' second drive deep in BYU territory. Whitmer was 8 of 17 for 113 yards.

"That's the point you're at right now," Diaco said. "For the players to get better, they have to play in games."

BYU played without a handful of regulars. Tailback Jamaal Williams and wide receiver Devon Blackmon announced their own suspensions for school honor code violations. Defensive tackle Marques Johnson and starting cornerbacks Jordan Johnson and Robertson Daniel also were suspended for unspecified violations of team rules. Receiver Nick Kurtz missed the game because of a stress fracture in his foot.

Mendenhall says he expects all of the suspended players back next week against Texas.

BYU got off to a quick start.

Hill, who last year ran for more than 1,300 yards and passed for just under 3,000, capped the Cougars' opening 15-play, 75-yard drive with a 7-yard run. He then found Mitch Mathews wide open over the middle from 26 yards out, after tailback Max DeLorenzo fumbled on the Huskies' first offensive play.

Hill danced away from pressure late in the first half and found Terenn Houk open to his left for a 35-yard touchdown catch-and-run that made it 28-7 at the half.

The quarterback capped the game with a 26-yard touchdown run to complete a 90-yard, fourth-quarter drive that sent the fans to the exits.

"This is an excellent offensive system," Mendenhall said. "I think you can see the potential, and that's what's exciting to me."

Penalties slowed the Cougars a bit. They committed 15 of them for 150 yards. UConn was flagged eight times for 90 yards.

A fumble by BYU's Mathews at midfield led to UConn's only touchdown. Whitmer led the Huskies on a six-play drive that ended with freshman Josh Merriner scoring from a yard out in the second quarter.

Bobby Puyol made a 35-yard field goal for UConn in the fourth quarter.

The Huskies put together an 11-play drive to start the second half, but failed after faking a 40-yard field goal.

UConn's top receiver, Geremy Davis, finished with seven catches for 96 yards. He spent some time in the fourth quarter in the locker room, but returned before the end of the game.

West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Jordan Thompson makes a catch against Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Bradley Sylve during the third quarter of the 2014 Chick-fil-a kickoff game at Georgia Dome.
John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin talks with his players in the huddle during a review during the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Jeremy Brevard, USA TODAY Sports